Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to international law and peace, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday in Oslo.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said Pillay had significantly expanded the scope and impact of international law and helped advance a more comprehensive global legal order through her exceptional courage and commitment.
Born in Durban, South Africa, Pillay, 85, began her career as a lawyer confronting racial discrimination during apartheid. She served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
Pillay visited Sri Lanka from August 25 to 31, 2013, to assess the country’s human rights situation following the end of the civil war. During her visit, she travelled to areas including Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Trincomalee, where she met war survivors, families of disappeared persons and local communities.
Following the visit, Pillay warned that Sri Lanka was moving towards authoritarianism and highlighted a climate of fear, including allegations of intimidation and harassment targeting people who sought to meet with her.
She also called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international inquiry mechanism to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the final stages of the 26-year civil war.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee received 287 nominations for this year’s Peace Prize, including just over a quarter for organisations.
Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote a democratic transition in Venezuela. She later presented her Nobel medal to US President Donald Trump in a symbolic gesture. However, the Nobel Committee has clarified that the award itself cannot be transferred.
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was first awarded in 1901. Among its previous recipients are Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa.
Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2014 at the age of 17. Vietnamese politician Lê Đức Thọ, who was jointly awarded the prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam, declined to accept it, citing violations of the agreement.
Source: Agencies
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